Even before he was named USA Today’s National Boys High School Golfer of the Year last summer, Lone Peak High junior Kihei Akina was receiving college scholarship offers from the likes of Oklahoma State, Florida, North Carolina, Alabama and Arizona State.
His top 10 last November also included USC, LSU, UNLV and Texas.
Those are some of the top college golf programs in the country, and suffice it to say, the offers came with some additional perks in this day and age of name, image and likeness, or NIL. enticements.
“I was getting six-figure offers,” Akina said somewhat incredulously last week. “They all had (lucrative) NIL pitches.”
So when Akina, who is 18, announced last January at a charity event in his native Hawaii that he had committed to BYU, the decision sent some shock waves through the college golf community. Bruce Brockbank and Todd Miller have a solid golf program at BYU, building upon what legendary coach Karl Tucker established, but BYU not often lures golfers away from the big boys in the sport.
Akina is arguably the program’s most accomplished recruit, which is saying something since it has produced PGA Tour players such as Daniel Summerhays, Patrick Fishburn, Zac Blair and Peter Kuest. He is ranked No. 7 in the Golfweek Boys Junior Rankings, and already this year has a pair of top-five finishes in prestigious national junior tournaments.
How did the Cougars get this guy?
“Well, I just felt the most comfortable there. You know, it is right down the road, which is really cool,” said Akina, who lives in Alpine, a town in northern Utah County. “I think the coaches are really great — coach Brockbank and coach Miller are some of the best guys you will meet.
“I think they will really help me out with not only my golf game, but just in life, too, just developing me as a man,” he continued. “I think that was really important to me when choosing a school.”
Akina acknowledged that BYU’s offer included some NIL deals as well.
It also doesn’t hurt that Akina’s oldest brother, Keanu, has been a member of BYU’s golf program the past four years, or that Kihei is a member of the faith that supports and operates BYU, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Keanu Akina helped the Cougars qualify for the NCAA golf championships, as the Cougars will play in the Austin (Texas) Regional beginning next Monday, along with the University of Utah.
“I was talking to almost 50 coaches and their schools,” Kihei said of his recruitment. “I went on visits to Florida, North Carolina, Oklahoma State and Alabama, among others. It was a really fun opportunity to just meet the coaches and take visits. I am excited that I chose BYU, though.”
Akina didn’t want to get into specifics regarding the amount of his BYU scholarship — coaches generally divide their 4.5 scholarships among the players on the team, so most, if not all, don’t get full rides as they do in other sports — or his NIL agreements, but acknowledged that he is happy with what he is getting.
“It for sure was talked about. It was pretty crazy, honestly, and pretty good timing as well,” he said. “I am just lucky that all the NIL stuff kinda happened right as I was coming up and into the recruiting process. But yeah, NIL was definitely a factor.”
Then he added, “It was a great offer, but that’s not really the full reason why I chose BYU. I would have gone to a different school if I was just going for money.”
After choosing BYU, Akina has done nothing but boost his standing as one of the top juniors in the country.
Last week, he shot a 3-under 69 at Alpine Country Club in the local qualifying for the U.S. Open, the day’s second-best score, and was one of five golfers in the field of 90 players who will move on to the next round of qualifying.
It wasn’t set in stone as of last week, but he will likely play his final qualifying round for the U.S. Open — which is at Pinehurst GC in North Carolina this year, at Pronghorn Resort in Bend, Oregon, on June 3 because he has the Nike Junior Invitational in that area the same week.
“It felt great to get through,” he said. “I was a little bit nervous after I finished because I thought it was going to be close. I thought maybe I was going to be in a playoff or something. But luckily the conditions got tough and I was clear of that seven-for-two playoff for the last two spots.”
BYU golfer Angus Klintworth (-4) was medalist, while former Ute Mitch Schow (-2), BYU golfer Cooper Jones (-1) and Utah State’s Julio Arronte (-1) also advanced.
In March, Akina placed fifth at the prestigious Junior Invitational at Sage Valley in South Carolina, among the top 36 juniors in the world, and was the top U.S. finisher. He shot a 5-under 211 in the event won by Italy’s Giovanni Daniele Binaghi, who shot an 11-under 205.
Corner Canyon star Bowen Mauss, who has committed to Arizona State, tied for sixth with a 4-under 212.
In April, Akina tied for third at the Terra Cotta Invitational at Naples National in Florida, shooting a 62 in the second round. He was just two strokes behind Luke Colton of Frisco, Texas, who won the event.
Those lofty finishes came on the heels of Akina being named the National Boys Golf of the Year last August.
“That was really cool. I was actually playing a practice round at the Junior PGA last summer when I found out,” he said. " I ended up taking fourth, played really well. I was watching the live video where they announced it on my phone during a practice round, so that was fun.”
Akina won medalist honors at the 6A state tournament his freshman and sophomore seasons at Lone Peak. Last fall, his run of state titles ended as Mauss earned medalist honors at Old Mill Golf Club with a 9-under 135. Akina placed second at 7-under 137.
Akina said he plays golf or practices about four or five hours a day after school to stay sharp and improve.
His summer will be filled with golf, obviously, as he plays in more AJGA invitationals, the prestigious Sunnehanna Amateur in Pennsylvania, the Junior PGA, the U.S. Junior Amateur and the Manoa Cup in Hawaii, where he was runner-up last summer.
“It should be a busy summer,” he said. “I’m really grateful for all the opportunities golf has given me.”
